Despite some shaky gameplay,
Team Vitality emerged as one of the standout performers of Week 4 in the
2026 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Versus. Finishing the week with a 2-0 record, the Bees have solidified their third-place position at the end of the group stage, with a
rematch against Movistar KOI looming. In an exclusive interview, jungler
Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas spoke with
Sheep Esports about how Vitality stacks up against other teams, his approach to professional play, and his goals for the future.
How do you feel about finishing the group stage in third place, and how do you reflect on today’s win against Los Ratones?
Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas: "Happy to pick up the win today, even though it was quite a messy one. I don't know, I think this week overall we just didn't play too well compared to last week. Of course, it feels good to finally be at the top of the standings. But we also have to not get too ahead of ourselves. It's just the best-of-one regular season.
I think this team overall has much higher potential and a much higher baseline compared to our previous rosters. So far, we have been progressing, so hopefully we can keep up the progress and be a top team in the playoffs as well.
What can we expect from the playoffs, given how shaky some of the top teams have looked and how unpredictable the standings seem right now?
Lyncas: I'm not sure. Some of the teams that are supposed to be at the top—G2 and MKOI—they look very shaky. Right now, we are doing quite well, and KC are a strong team, so I think the two of us should be the top teams of the LEC. I'm not sure about NAVI—they have been very good in the best-of-ones, but I think it will be much harder for them in best-of-threes, just thinking about the champion pools of the players and the overall team. But so far, they have been doing very well. The standings have been pretty crazy.
How comfortable do you feel with best-of-threes or best-of-fives, and have you been training in that format yet, or are you still focused on best-of-ones?
Lyncas: Up to this week, all of our scrims were BO1s. This week we had scrims of one BO3 into one BO1. It just depends on who you scrim, really. The top teams wanted to play BO3s as soon as possible, so we adapted to them this week because we were confident we were going to playoffs.
But yeah, I'm excited for BO3s. I think our team benefits a lot from Fearless Draft. I think we have bigger champion pools than many other teams, and BO1s are so repetitive and so dependent on just one draft. Someone can just show up on the day and win, as we’ve seen in this entire league.
You'll be facing MKOI in your first match, what are your thoughts on this match-up?
Lyncas: They didn’t look too good in best-of-ones, but they’ll be stronger in the playoffs. Still, I think we are the favorites going into the match. Our side of the bracket—with NAVI or Fnatic as the next teams to beat if we beat MKOI—looks really good to reach the best-of-five stage.
With the LEC recently signing a mental health sponsorship, and considering the challenges you faced last summer during a long offseason, how are you doing mentally? How is esports affecting you, and how would you describe your current mental health?
Lyncas: Right now, it’s been going pretty well because I’m in a good environment, and we’re also winning. Previously, of course, it was a bit rougher—just results-wise. When you do badly, the doubt starts to linger. But I think I’m kind of a person who’s able to bounce back from setbacks faster. I would say I also burn out maybe a bit less than others, so I can just keep playing more like this. I just enjoy everything about being a pro. The team is also doing well so far. So right now, I’m very happy and in a good mental state.
On your stream, you mentioned your white hair and joked that it’s “just esports.” Is it stressful sometimes?
Lyncas: [Laughs] I mean, of course. The days are long, and it’s just the dedication, right? The time you put in, the competitive matches, the scrims—all of that can be stressful. But yeah, the gray hair—I’ve had it since I was like 17. I remember my high school teacher noticing it and wondering if I had started dyeing my hair or if it was natural, so I guess it kind of started early.
Your coach Patrick "Pad" Suckow-Breum mentioned that one of his major goals this year was to help you become one of the top junglers in Europe. How do you feel about this, and do you feel you’re close to reaching those goals?
Lyncas: Pad and I are very close. So I’m happy that that’s one of his main aims, and it’s one of my aims as well. I think I’ve been doing very well so far this split. Besides maybe one or two games, like against Fnatic, where I made some big mistakes, overall the last two weeks my games have been very good.
But that’s also one of my goals—to be considered the top jungler in the league. I already have the skill to be there; I just need to show it. And I’m very confident that throughout this year with this team, it won’t be far-fetched at all, and people will actually think that.
Has it felt different with the changes to the coaching staff, like James "Mac" MacCormack stepping back and the new coaches joining?
Lyncas: In terms of drafting, not much has changed. Our drafts have been good so far. We have Arvindir (Danusch Fischer) now instead of Kaas (Christophe van Oudheusden), who was our main drafter before, together with Mac. Now it’s mostly Arvindir with the help of Pad.
Regarding Pad, just from his personality, it was time for him to move up. He fits the head coach role, and he’s very smart about the game. He has the personality for it. So far, we’ve been doing very well with him as head coach.
Now that you’re in your second full year with Vitality, how is your relationship with the organization, and do you feel they’ve helped you develop over these near two years?
Lyncas: We didn’t have the best results together in the past, so hopefully we can change that this year. I think we have, as I said, the roster for it. But overall, regarding Vitality, I’m very happy here. They give players what they need in order to perform in everyday life. The people and staff overall—anything related to gameplay or stuff that can affect the player—has been very good. And I just hope that we can do well this year. Vitality hasn’t had the best results in recent years, so hopefully I can repay their trust this year.
I saw the other day that Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan was trolling you on stream—you were waiting to duo queue with him, but he never showed up. You joked, “I hate this guy.” Can you tell me more about your dynamic with him?
Lyncas: It’s our second year together. We like each other and have a close relationship. We were just kind of messing around on the stream—there’s not too much to it. So far, things are going well. I’m happy to have such a good toplaner. I believe Naak Nako is the best toplaner in Europe.
Do you think Pad should make him and the others play more solo queue and be more conscientious about it?
Lyncas: [Laughs] For sure, solo queue is important, and hopefully the Czechies players step up their numbers—this has already been brought up to them. That said, for example, Carzzy (Matyáš Orság) this split has still been doing very well—I think mechanically he’s at a very good level. So, as long as they perform, there’s no problem.
You can just meme them for being low elo.
Lyncas: I mean, it's true. They're low elo, so there is nothing to hide."
